U.S. patent number 5,135,330 [Application Number 07/647,784] was granted by the patent office on 1992-08-04 for quick release clamping device.
Invention is credited to Chun-Hsung Chen.
United States Patent |
5,135,330 |
Chen |
August 4, 1992 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Quick release clamping device
Abstract
A quick release clamping device includes a hollow clamping cap,
and a bolt member having an enlarged head portion disposed inside
the hollow clamping cap and a threaded end portion engaging a nut
member. A lever member has an eccentric shaft portion to be
disposed in a through bore formed on the head portion of the bolt
member. A locking ring prevents axial sliding of the eccentric
portion inside the through bore. The lever member is operated to
axially move the bolt member between a slack position, in which the
eccentric portion is not in contact with the head portion, and a
tightened position, in which the eccentric portion pushes the head
portion into the clamping cap to pull the nut member toward the
clamping cap. The eccentric portion has an axially extending notch.
A pull knob is to be disposed on the clamping cap. The pull knob
has a rod portion extending through the clamping cap to releasably
engage the notch. A biasing member surrounds the rod portion and
urges the rod portion to engage the notch to prevent untimely
rotation of the lever member.
Inventors: |
Chen; Chun-Hsung (Feng-Yuan
City, TW) |
Family
ID: |
24598260 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/647,784 |
Filed: |
January 30, 1991 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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Dec 29, 1990 [TW] |
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79214484 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
403/374.5;
301/124.2; 403/323; 70/225 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B62K
19/36 (20130101); B62K 25/02 (20130101); B62K
2206/00 (20130101); Y10T 70/5836 (20150401); Y10T
403/7071 (20150115); Y10T 403/597 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
B62K
19/00 (20060101); B62K 25/00 (20060101); B62K
19/36 (20060101); B62K 25/02 (20060101); B25G
003/20 () |
Field of
Search: |
;70/225,233
;403/373,374,323 ;301/111,112 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Other References
07/647,793, Chun-Hsung Chen, filed Jan. 30, 1991. .
07/647,982, Chun-Hsung CHen, filed Jan. 30, 1991..
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Primary Examiner: Kundrat; Andrew V.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Merchant, Gould, Smith, Edell,
Welter & Schmidt
Claims
I claim:
1. A quick release clamping device, comprising:
a hollow clamping cap including a housing wall defining a receiving
space accessible from an open end and provided with diametrically
opposite first and second through holes, and a cover disposed on a
second end of said housing wall opposite said open end and having a
first axial opening;
a bolt member having an enlarged head portion on one end and a
threaded portion on the other end, said head portion to be disposed
inside said clamping cap receiving space and having a through bore
to be aligned with said first and said second clamping cap through
holes, said head portion further having a second axial opening to
be aligned with said first axial opening of said clamping cap to
access said through bore;
a nut member to engage said threaded portion of said bolt
member;
a first locking device including a lever member having an elongated
handle portion and a shaft portion angled from and connected to
said handle portion, said shaft portion having a first end portion
to be journaled in said first clamping cap through hole, a second
end portion to be journaled in said second clamping cap through
hole, and an eccentric portion connecting said first and said
second end portions and to be disposed in said bolt member through
bore, said second end portion having an annular groove, said first
locking device further including a locking ring received in said
annular groove to prevent axial sliding of said eccentric portion
inside said bolt member through bore, said eccentric portion having
an abutment face, said handle portion being operated to axially
move said bolt member between a slack position, in which said
eccentric portion is not in contact with said bolt member through
bore, and a tightened position, in which said abutment face of said
eccentric portion engages said bolt member through bore to push
said bolt member head portion inwardly of said clamping cap to pull
said nut member toward said clamping cap, said eccentric portion
having an axially extending notch adjacent said abutment face;
and
a second locking device including a pull knob to be disposed on
said cover, said pull knob having a rod portion extending through
said first clamping cap axial opening and said second bolt member
axial opening to releasably engage said notch of said first locking
device, said second locking device further including a coiled
spring surrounding said rod portion and urging said rod portion to
engage said notch to prevent rotation of said lever member.
2. The quick release clamping device as claimed in claim 1, wherein
one of said clamping cap cover and said pull knob has a plurality
of angularly spaced hemispherical projections, the other one of
said clamping cap cover and said pull knob having a plurality of
angularly spaced depressions to receive said projections.
3. The quick release clamping device as claimed in claim 1, wherein
said coiled spring comprises a plurality of concentric turns of
increasing diameter.
4. The quick release clamping device as claimed in claim 3, wherein
said rod portion of said pull knob has a radial flange, said coiled
spring having a first endmost turn abutting said radial flange and
a second endmost turn abutting an inner surface of said clamping
cap cover, the diameter of said first endmost turn being smaller
than that of said second endmost turn.
5. The quick release clamping device as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the diameter of said first through hole of said clamping cap is
wider than that of said second through hole of said clamping
cap.
6. The quick release clamping device as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the diameter of said first axial opening of said clamping cap is
wider than that of said second axial opening of said bolt member.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field Of The Invention
The invention relates to a quick release clamping device, more
particularly to a quick release clamping device having provisions
to prevent the untimely release thereof.
2. Description Of The Related Art
Presently, there are two methods used to mount the hub of a bicycle
wheel of a bicycle fork. In the first method, a bolt extends
through the hub of the bicycle wheel and a pair of nuts engage the
two ends of the bolt, tightly clamping the hub between the prongs
of the bicycle fork. The engaging and disengaging steps of the
first method make the replacement of flat tires during competition
both troublesome and time consuming.
To make it easier and quicker to mount the hub on the bicycle fork,
a quick release clamping device is used. Referring to FIG. 1, a
conventional quick release clamping device 1 is shown to comprise a
hollow clamping cap 2 and a bolt member 3 having an enlarged head
portion 3a to be disposed inside the clamping cap 2. The head
portion 3a has a through bore 3b to be aligned with diametrically
opposite through holes 2a on the clamping cap 2. A nut 4 is
provided to engage a threaded end of the bolt member 3. A lever
member 5 has an elongated handle portion 5a and a shaft portion 5b
angled from and connected to the handle portion 5a. Each end of the
shaft portion 5b is to be journaled in one of the through holes 2a.
The shaft portion 5b has an eccentric portion 5b1 to be disposed in
the through bore 3b of the bolt member 3. A locking ring 6 is
provided on one of the ends of the shaft portion 5b to prevent
axial sliding of the eccentric portion 5b1 inside the through bore
3b. The handle portion 5a is operated to axially move the bolt
member 3 between a slack position, in which the eccentric portion
5b1 is not in contact with the head portion 3a, and a tightened
position, in which the eccentric portion 5b1 pushes the head
portion 3a further into the clamping cap 2, pulling the nut member
4 toward the clamping cap 2. Loosening and tightening of the
clamping device 1 can thus be easily and quickly achieved by simply
operating the lever member 5.
A main disadvantage of the clamping device 1 is that when the
bicycle is in use, the lever member 5 is relatively unstable in the
tightened position. Thus, the lever member 5 may accidentally move
from the tightened position to the slack position, which might
cause the untimely release of the hub from the bicycle fork,
thereby causing injury to the rider.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the main objective of the present invention is to
provide a quick release clamping device having provisions to
prevent the untimely release thereof. Accordingly, the preferred
embodiment of a quick release clamping device of the present
invention comprises a hollow clamping cap having a housing wall
defining a receiving space accessible from an open end and provided
with diametrically opposite first and second through holes. A cover
is disposed on a second end of the housing wall opposite the open
end. The cover has a first axial opening. A bolt member has an
enlarged head portion on one end and a threaded portion on the
other end. The head portion is to be disposed inside the receiving
space and has a through bore to be aligned with the first and
second through holes. The head portion further has a second axial
opening to be aligned with the first axial opening to access the
through bore. A nut member is provided to engage the threaded
portion of the bolt member. A first locking device includes a lever
member having an elongated handle portion and a shaft portion
angled from and connected to the handle portion. The shaft portion
has a first end portion to be journaled in the first through hole,
a second end portion to be journaled in the second through hole,
and an eccentric portion connecting the first and second end
portions. The eccentric portion is to be disposed in the through
bore of the bolt member. A locking ring is received in an annular
groove provided on the second end portion to prevent axial sliding
on the eccentric portion inside the through bore. The handle
portion is operated to axially move the bolt member between a slack
position, in which the eccentric portion is not in contact with the
through bore, and a tightened position, in which the eccentric
portion engages the through bore to push the head portion further
into the clamping cap, pulling the nut member toward the clamping
cap. The eccentric portion has an axially extending notch adjacent
to an abutment face thereof. A second locking device includes a
pull knob to be disposed on the cover of the clamping cap. The pull
knob has a rod portion extending through the first and second axial
openings to releasably engage the notch. A biasing member urges the
rod portion to engage the notch, thereby preventing untimely
rotation of the lever member .
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become
apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred
embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of
which:
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a conventional quick release clamping
device;
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the preferred embodiment of a quick
release clamping device according to the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment to
illustrate its assembly;
FIG. 4A is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment when in a
tightened position;
FIG. 4B is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment when in a
slack position;
FIG. 5 is an illustration of the preferred embodiment when used to
secure a bicycle wheel on a bicycle fork; and
FIG. 6 is an illustration of the preferred embodiment when used to
adjustably secure a bicycle seat on a rear bicycle fork.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the preferred embodiment of a quick
release clamping device according to the present invention is shown
to comprise a hollow clamping cap 10, a bolt member 20, a nut
member A, a first locking device including a manually operated
lever member 30 and a locking ring 40, and a second locking device
including a pull knob 50 and a biasing member 60.
The clamping cap 10 has a housing wall confining a receiving space
10b accessible from the bottom open end 10a of the clamping cap 10.
A cover 10c is disposed on the top end 101 of the clamping cap 10
and has an axial opening 11 and a plurality of angularly spaced
hemispherical upward projections 12 surrounding the opening 11
(FIG. 2 shows the cover 10c to have three spaced projections 12).
The housing wall of the clamping cap 10 is further provided with a
pair of diametrically opposite through holes 13 and 14. The
diameter of the through hole 13 is wider than that of the through
hole 14.
The bolt member 20 has an enlarged cylindrical head portion 21 on
one end and a threaded portion 22 on the other end. The head
portion 21 is to be disposed in the receiving space 10b confined by
the clamping cap 10. The head portion 21 has a through bore 211 to
be aligned with the through holes 13 and 14. The top end of the
head portion 21 is provided with an axial opening 212 to access the
through bore 211. The nut A engages the threaded portion 22 of the
bolt member 20.
The manually operated lever member 30 has a shaft portion 31 and an
elongated handle portion 32 angled from and connected to the shaft
portion. The shaft portion 31 has a first end portion 312 to be
journaled in the through hole 13, a second end portion 313 to be
journaled in the through hole 14, and an eccentric portion 311
disposed between the first and second end portions 312 and 313. The
eccentric portion 311 extends into the clamping cap 10 and is to be
disposed in the through bore 211 of the bolt member 20. An axially
extending notch 314 ;s provided on the eccentric portion 311.
The locking ring 40 is substantially C-shaped and is received in an
annular groove 310 provided on the second end portion 313 of the
shaft portion 31. The locking ring 40 prevents axial sliding of the
shaft portion 31 inside the through bore 211 and provides
resistance which helps prevent the detachment of the lever member
30 from the clamping cap 10.
The pull knob 50 has a knob body with a central through hole 51 to
be aligned with the opening 11 in the cover 10c. The bottom surface
500 of the knob body is provided with a plurality of angularly
spaced depressions 52 to receive the spaced projections 12 on the
cover 10c. The pull knob 50 further has a rod portion 53 disposed
inside the receiving space 10b, and divided into first and second
sections 531 and 532, which sections are of different diameters.
One end of the first section 531 extends through the opening 11 in
the clamping cap 10 and is connected to the knob body at the
through hole 51. The other end of the first section 531 is provided
with a radial flange 533. The diameter of the first section 531 is
wider than that of the second section 532. The second section 532
extends into the through bore 211 via the opening 212 to releasably
engage the notch 314.
The biasing member 60 of the preferred embodiment is a coiled
spring having a plurality of concentric turns of increasing
diameter. The diameter of the bottom endmost turn 61 is smaller
than that of the top endmost turn 62. The coiled spring 60
surrounds the first section 531 of the rod portion 53. The bottom
endmost turn 61 is in contact with the radial flange 533 of the rod
portion 53. The top endmost turn 62 is in contact with the cover
10c. The coiled spring 60 thus urges the pull knob 50 inwardly of
the clamping cap 10.
Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4A, to tighten the preferred
embodiment, the pull knob 50 is first pulled away from the cover
10c and the handle portion 32 of the lever member 30 is then
operated until the abutment face 311a of the eccentric portion 311
engages the through bore 211 to push the head portion 21 up into
the clamping cap 10. The notch 314 is adjacent to the abutment face
311a so that when the preferred embodiment is tightened, the notch
314 is directly under the distal end of the second section 532 of
the rod portion 53 of the pull knob 50. The pull knob 50 is then
released and the coiled spring 60 expands, moving the pull knob 50
toward the cover 10c of the clamping cap 10. The pull knob 50 is
then rotated so as to permit the depressions 52 to engage the
protrusions 12 on the cover 10c. When the depressions 52 have
engaged the protrusions 12, the distal end of the second section
532 of the rod portion 53 of the pull knob 50 extends into the
notch 314. The second section 532 thus locks the lever member 30 in
the tightened position, preventing untimely rotation of the shaft
portion 31.
To release the preferred embodiment from the tightened position,
the pull knob 50 is once more pulled away from the cover 10c and
the handle portion 32 of the lever member 30 is then operated in
the opposite direction until the abutment face 311a of the
eccentric portion 311 ceases to contact the through bore 211 of the
head portion 21 of the bolt member 20, as shown in FIG. 4B. The
bolt member 20 is slackened, thereby permitting the nut member A to
be moved away from the clamping cap 10.
Referring to FIG. 5, the preferred embodiment can be used to secure
the tub 55 of a bicycle wheel on a bicycle fork 57. The belt member
20 extends into the hub 55. When the preferred embodiment is
tightened, the nut member A is pulled toward the clamping cap 10 to
tightly clamp the hub 55 to the bicycle fork 57.
Referring to FIG. 6, the preferred embodiment can also be used to
adjustably mount a bicycle seat support 80 on the bicycle rear fork
90 so as to facilitate adjustment of the height of the bicycle seat
B.
While the present invention has been described in connection with
what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it
is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed
embodiment, but is intended to cover various arrangements included
within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to
encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
* * * * *